Hampton staff to pursue state grant to buy White Marsh acreage; council gives acquiescence

Elizabeth Kersey briefed council on a staff option to seek a budget amendment in the governor's budget to purchase roughly 90 acres in the White Marsh area at an assessed value of about $5,000 per acre. The total project estimate would be approximately $450,000; staff would request $225,000 from the governor and the city would match $225,000.

Kersey said the governor’s office has set an end‑of‑October deadline for substantiating a request; staff needs basic information about acreage, assessed values and a broad plan for preservation. The manager recommended pursuing the request, and council signaled acquiescence on the record so staff could proceed with the governor's office and related conversations. Staff noted the option is one of several parallel strategies, including proposed local zoning amendments to add coastal barrier resource protections.

"We would ask for $225,000 from the state," Kersey said, adding that almost every non‑state agency grant requires a local match.